9 AUG 15: Prekote and priming: 6.75 hours

Finished Prekote and priming fuse parts – no pics.

10/11/12 AUG 15: Page 29-15 steps 1-3, page 29-19 step 7: 6 hours

Dimpled fuse parts, riveted vents:

13 AUG 15: Page 9-15 steps 4-6 L, 31-2 1-5, 31-3 1-3, 31-4 1-4: 7 hours

Not sure why I waited to roll the elevator leading edges, but I did, so a blast from the past:

Interestingly, it was neat to see the date I was last on this step!

So, looking over the elevator – which I haven’t looked at in a long time – I’m really glad I did the trim tabs multiple times!  They turned out nicely:

So, I’m at a slow-down point on the fuse.  I need to paint some of the interior pieces (seat back cross bar) their final color before I start riveting together any more structure.  I’m waiting on some swatches from Geoff Combs at Aersosport.  I’d rather paint the pieces now instead of after it’s together, so I continued a few steps ahead and began working on the instrument panel.  This piece was a bit odd to form:

Sub-panel assembly clecoed together:

14 AUG 15: Page 9-15 steps 4-6 R, 31-4 4, 31-5 1-2, 31-6 3-4: 5 hours

Rolled the right elevator leading edge, continued to construct sub-panel assembly – no pics.

15 AUG 15: Deburred sub-panel assembly and top skin, cut holes in top skins: 6.25 hours

Deburred all the sub-panel parts.  Cut 2 holes in the top skin for the computer fans I purchased.  The fans will serve to remove heat from the avionics bay and also serve as windshield defog if needed.  Pilot holes:

Looks pretty good:

Holes all finished:

16 AUG 15: Prekote and prime:  5.25 hours

Got the swatches from Aerosport:

The boss has spoken and it looks like graphite carpet and medium light stone leather:

Hopefully, I can hit the paint shop this week and get some interior paint matched so I can continue progress on putting the fuse together.  Until, then more Prekoting and priming – uggghhhh.  I can say that I will NOT be upset when the priming is done.

Another batch done.  Not too many pieces left to prime!

1-6 AUG 15: Page 29-14 steps 8-9: 20.5 hours

Spent the better part of the week deburring and countersinking all the fuse parts – tons of holes to countersink.  I decided to try to use my drill press to countersink the longerons – have always used my electric drill:

Not a fan of countersinking with the drill press; back to the electric.  I guess it’s whatever you’re comfortable with…

Seemed like the countersinking was never-ending!

7 AUG 15: Page 29-12 step 3, page 29-14 steps 8-9: 5 hours

More deburring and dimpling and redid the F-1041-L lower fuse channel that I previously messed up – no pics.

8 AUG 15: Page 29-14 steps 8-9, Prekote and priming: 8.5 hours

Finished the deburring.  Prekoted and primed all the fuse parts minus the skins.  I’ll be glad when I’m done priming.  I’m glad I’m doing it, but it definitely adds time and EFFORT to the build.

12 JUL 15: Page 29-7 steps 2-3, page 29-8 steps 1-4, 29-12 step 2, 29-19 steps 1-2: 4.25 hours

Clecoed the F-1015C-L/R mid cabin decks to the F-1015B-L/R foot well rib intercostals and F-1005C-L/R bulkhead side channels.  Clecoed the F-1013-L/R forward fuse longerons to the mid cabin deck.  Final-drilled #40 the holes common between the parts:

 Cut the baggage door shims and final-drilled the baggage floor angles.  Deburred the F-1042E gussets.  Cut apart and final-drilled #40 the vent subassemblies:

14/16 JUL 15: Deburred side skins: 2.5 hours

Deburred F-1070-L/R side skins – no pics.

17 JUL 15: Deburred side skins, page 29-19 steps 3-5: 4 hours

Deburred edges of vent assemblies, final-drilled #40 the holes common between the vent doublers and mid side skins, machine countersunk the holes in the F-1093 vent doors and F-1070-L/R mid side skins – no pics.

18 JUL 15: Page 29-10 steps 1-2: 3.25 hours

Bent the upper and lower fuse channels.  Checked for alignment.  The upper right firewall bracket was the worst:

I had read that the base of the bracket can get warped when welded and cause the mis-alignment, so I drilled the bracket off.  Unfortunately, the base was flat.  This was just before leaving for Oshkosh, so I shot an email to Van’s showing them my issue.  I wasn’t expecting a response, but Scott replied early during the week of Oshkosh.  He explained that edge distance wasn’t critical – bracket is steel – and that I could use clamps to work the flanges into place. 

27 JUL 15: Page 29-4 step 4, page 29-5 steps 1-5: 2.75 hours

Marked the F-1070-L/R skins for the roll lines and rolled the skins.  Skins clamped ready to roll:

Bend turned out nice:

Front bend looks good:

Both skins bent:

Pretty neat to see the fuselage coming together – getting pretty big:

28 JUL 15: Page 29-11 steps 1-5 (R), page 29-9 steps 1-2: 3.25 hours

Rolled the F-1069-R side skin.  Clecoed the F-1070-L/R mid side skins to the under structure.  Final-drilled #40 and #30 all holes common to the skins and structure.  A bunch of holes!

29 JUL 15: Page 29-9 steps 2-5: 6.75 hours

Finished final-drilling both F-1070 side skins and 1046/1013 longerons.  The edge distance on the 1046 longerons when match-drilled to the F-1005E gussets is very sketchy.  In order to get sufficient edge distance the longeron had to be moved slightly inboard which means the side skin is not flush.  I made some shims for both side to make the skin flush.  Hopefully this will not cause a mark in the skin when riveting the structure – we’ll see!  A bunch of holes to drill:

30 JUL 15: Page 29-11 steps 1-5, 29-12 3-5, 29-13 1-10, 29-14 1-6: 9 hours

Don’t have the energy to write out all the steps ;) Finished bending the fuse skins and began to match-drilled all of the fuse sub-structure and skins – including the longeron to firewall bracket junctions.  This is a fairly slow process because each flange had to be clamped in both the X and Y axis to ensure sufficient edge distance of the holes once they are drilled through the firewall bracket flange:

31 JUL 15: Page 29-13 steps 1-10, 29-14 steps 1-7: 7.25 hours

Finished drilling the fuse structure and skins.  I’ve read a lot about section 29 being a PIA, and I will say I agree!  It isn’t that anything is super difficult (fairly), but it is a LONG and tedious section – bending the longerons, drilling all the steel firewall brackets, etc.  For those of you flying your beautiful -10s that have long-forgotten the joys of the build, let me refresh your memory.  Nothing motivates like covering your face in hot steel shavings!

Oh by the way – even though the plans specifically mention not doing this (that means I WILL do it), and in the pic above the tab is on the proper side of the side channel web – at one point when R&Ring the lower side channel to measure hole spacing, I place the aft tab on the wrong side of the channel web – opposite as shown in the pic.  What this means is that the channel was moved inboard about 1/8-1/4 inch.  This matters because the last step I completed was drilling the floor panel holes into the top flange of the channel.  With the channel slightly too far inboard, this meant that the holes were slightly too far outboard.  Even though I prefer this placement (the last hole has sketchy edge distance – although it is only connecting one floor panel pulled rivet), the holes will not line up with the channel installed correctly and the structure clecoed together.  $15 for a new channel on order with Van’s….  The photo below shows the mis-drilled hole with the sharpie marking where the hole should have been.  This error is especially dumb since I marked all the holes before drilling.  I did this a lot in this section because of all the critical holes that are being drilled.  When my original marking didn’t line up, I just assumed that the structure pulled together more closely this time – never really investigated why it had done so…  After hours and hours working in the 95 degree / 95% humidity, the brain just doesn’t fire on all cylinders…